Champagne Toast (19 page)

“
You
’
re not going to work at Molly
’
s anymore.  I
’
ll hardly see you and you
’
ll be surrounded by all these corporate girls.  You
’
ll be with them every single day.  You
’
ll take meetings with them, eat meals with them after working late at the office and I
’
ll be stuck at the bar.  I
’
m not going to fit into your world anymore, Ev
.” 
She
’
s finally opening up.  Thank God.

“
Fit into my world?  Sweets, you
are
my world.  You know that
.” 
She gives me a half smile and looks into my eyes briefly before breaking eye contact.
“
Besides, you know I
’
ll still be at Molly
’
s all the time.  I
’
ll be the stalker boyfriend who sits at the bar waiting for you to finish your shift.  Giving other guys shit if they try to hit on you
.” 
I laugh, attempting to make her smile.  It doesn
’
t work.

“
You
left me
tonight, Ev.  And I didn
’
t do anything wrong
.” 
I raise an eyebrow and she shrugs before continuing,
“
Okay, so I was a little insensitive.  But, you still don
’
t trust me.  What happens if you
’
ve had a shit day and you come to
the bar looking for a fight?
  Without trust, that
’
ll destroy us over time.
I just know it.
”

“
Okay, but
you
need to believe in me, and to have faith in yourself.  I
’
m not leaving you behind, Kate.  We
’
re in this together.  Seriously,
”
I say, pulling her into me.  She clutches my skin.
It
’
s slightly painful and comforting at the same time
. . .
much like our relationship.

“
Hey,
”
she says, leaning back, looking me up and down, and stopping at my pecs.
“
I just realized that you
’
re almost naked.
”

“
Wow, I guess I
’
d better hit the gym.  I
’
m standing here in nothing but my boxers, and you didn
’
t even notice?
”
I say, shaking my head playfully.  Kate laughs for the first time before pulling me towards her aggressively.

“
I love you,
”
she says softly as she leans in close.  I can smell the peppermint on her breath and I want nothing more than to drink her in as much as I can.

“
And you know I love you,
”
I say, stroking her hair, pulling her deeper into my arms.  Slowly, walking her to my computer desk, Kate sits down on the solid oak, tugging playfully on my boxer shorts.

“
On the desk?
”
I ask, intrigued.

“
Why not?
”
Kate asks, laughing seductively as she slowly tugs her shirt over her head.  She releases the elastic from her hair and her thick, dark hair spills over her shoulders.  She
’
s wearing her black bra with white polka dots, one of my favorites.
I wonder if I
’
ll find the matching
panties under her jeans.

Resting my fingers between
the straps of her bra and her shoulders, I tease her by pulling gently as slowly as possible, tickling her skin as I go.  Kate squirms slightly, but leans into my touch.  Her fingers tug once again on the elastic of my boxer shorts, bringing me closer to her.  Sliding one strap all the way down, her bra hangs down slightly as I cup her breast gently.  The other strap calls to me and I pull on that one as well.  Overwhelmed by how sexy Kate looks with both straps lying across her upper arms, I can
’
t help but smile as I look at her.

“
What?
” she asks, a curious look
on her face.

“
I
’
m just admiring you.
”

Kate gives me an incredulous look, like she
’
s embarrassed or something.  She
’
s always been confident, but right now she seems to have absolutely no idea how stunning she is
—
how every single thing about her drives me
crazy
.  I want to tear the rest of her clothes off and lose myself in her. 

When we
’
re together, it
’
s madness in the best possible way.  It
’
s the finale of a freaking fireworks show every single time.
We can
’
t get enough; it
’
s furious and passionate and out of control.  But, I kn
ow tonight needs to
be savored.  Tonight
, I need
to reassure her of how much I love her.
She
’
s so much more to me than just frantic sex.  Tonight, I need to exercise control to make this special, to make it different than any other experience we
’
ve ever had.

Gazing into her eyes, I stroke her cheek with my fingertips, tracing the lines of her cheekbones and chin.  My fingers continue to explore the curves of her body, starting with her shoulders, I make my way to her back and finally her hips.  Kate lets out a slight shiver as my fingers tickle her skin.  Slowly, I unzip her jeans and push the rigid fabric towards the floor.  Kate steps out of one pant leg, then the other.  A satisfied smirk crosses my lips as I see she is, in fact, wearing the matching polka dot panties.  I leer at the woman who affects me like no one else ever has.  And I suspect
,
in a way no one else ever will.

Tracing her lips with my tongue, I wait for her to invite me in.  Slowly and deliberately, she opens her mouth, and our tongues glide together smoothly.  She feels amazing.  Kate grasps my hair in both of her hands and pulls me close, wrapping her legs around my backside.  She tugs on the hair in her hands and I wince, enjoying her sudden aggressive nature. I pull away briefly; just long enough to give her a sly smile before taking her mouth into mine once again.  Our kisses are gentle, at first, but gradually become more demanding.  I need her, I want her, I have to have her.  Now.

Kate moans into my ear as I begin to make love to her.  Her ass is still perched upon my desk as her legs grip me tightly. Pushing into her tenderly, she says my name again and again, knowing that it drives me wild, knowing that I will increase my pace, giving into the demands of her body against mine. She nibbles on my earlobe, making me groan with excitement. Steadying myself by grabbing her
ass tightly, my fingers dig
in.

Kate pushes everything off of my desk, and lies back on the wood, pulling me on top of her.  Gripping the sides of the desk, I slide into her once again, possessing her and loving her with all that I am.  With each thrust, I can feel Kate
’
s arousal building.  She
’
s close and I need to feel her come apart beneath me.  My knees are digging into the harsh wood, but I don
’
t care.  Kate moans my name as her orgasm rips through her, her fingernails digging into my shoulders, piercing the skin.  I fall apart, experiencing incredible pleasure and pain all at the same time.

Kate
’
s hands glide up and down my back, her fingers lightly tickling my skin.  When she reaches the pierced skin and feels the blood dripping down my sides, she gasps.

“
Oh no, Ev, I
’
m so sorry!
”
Her eyes look panicked and I can
’
t help but laugh.

“
Sweets, it
’
s fine.  Barely felt a thing
.” 
A total lie, but I can tell she feels awful, and I don
’
t want to worry her.  There
’
s a sick part of me that
’s proud of these cuts, too.
  Like she
’
s marked me in some way.  Tomorrow, no one will know they
’
re there
. . .
but, I will.  And I know the thought alone will turn me on.  This girl drives me insane.

“
You
’
re lying,
”
she says, narrowing her gorgeous eyes at me.

“All right, fine
, it didn
’
t feel
good
.  I
’
ll admit.
But, as you can see, it didn
’
t, um, affect me.  So, don
’
t worry
.” 
A laugh escapes my throat, and the corners of Kate
’
s mouth turn up. 
“
I
’
ll let you play nursemaid in a minute, okay?
”
I ask.  She nods lovingly.

Later, as we lay in bed, Kate tending my cuts with band-aids and antiseptic, and me wincing in pain to get sympathy from her, I think about all the ups and downs this woman brings to my life. She frustrates the hell out of me.  But, when all is said and done, I simply can
’
t live without her.  She is worth all the fights, the insecurities and the misunderstandings.  She is worth the moments of sheer heartache and jealousy because she brings so much happiness to my life.  Happiness I never thought was p
ossible.  And right this second,
I realize that I want to marry her.

Kate

November 6, 2009

“
Since when does he like to go dancing?
”
My eyes roll as I talk to Bree during a Friday night shift at the bar.  Evan
’
s been working for a marketing firm for two months and he
’
s already changing.  I
’
ve never seen Evan dance before, but, for some reason he
’
s all enthusiastic about it now.  I blame his co-workers.  Especially some guy named Hal.
Hal Fairman.  What kind of name is that?  He
’
s a snob and a half
,
and I worry about the effect he might be having on Evan.  He
’
s constantly calling Evan
’
s cell phone, inviting him to clubs, concerts and other freebies that the firm receives. 

“
He
’
s just trying to get along with his new friends, Kate.  Cut the guy some slack.  At least he wants you to join him.
”

Bree has a point. 
“
True, I guess it could be worse.  He could be going out
without
me
.” 

Even though Evan is s
uggesting different restaurants and
different things for us to do, he
’
s spending just as much of his free time with me as he always has.  And true to his word, he does come to Molly
’
s on most Friday nights while I
’
m working.  He drinks a couple of beers, talks with Vince and Bree while he waits for my shift to end.  And even though there
’
s been a little bit of tension (mostly caused by me) about his new job, we
’
re doing pretty well.
 
In fact, we
’
ve been together for two years now.  And I love him more and more as time passes.  I didn
’
t know that was possible.  But, every time I see him, my heart flutters just as it did the day he walked through the door of Molly
’
s the very first time.

“
Tell me about it.  Jon goes out without me
all
the time.  It drives me crazy.  I wonder where he is and if he
’
s meeting random girls.  It sucks.  Hold on to this one, Kate
.” 
Bree says, walking away with a tray of drinks. 

She
’
s right.  I know she is.  Her boyfriend, Jon, is really no prize.
She could do so much better and sometimes I tell her as much.  But, for some reason, she stays with him year after year.  I keep hoping he
’
ll finally do something to push her over the edge so that she
’
ll realize she deserves more.  When I think about Bree and Jon, I always realize just how lucky I am to have Evan,
my
Evan.